Pune: Mahadev Babar To Contest Hadapsar Assembly Seat, Claims Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Sushma Andhare (VIDEO)

Even as seat-sharing talks within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — the coalition comprising the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) — is currently underway, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare has claimed that her party will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from the Hadapsar seat in Pune. She also stated that former Hadapsar MLA Mahadev Babar would be the party's candidate for the seat. In a viral video, Andhare can be heard saying, "The MVA has given Hadapsar seat to Shiv Sena (UBT). Mahadev Babar will be contesting the election from there."

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Interestingly, NCP (SP) Pune City Chief Prashant Jagtap has also begun preparations to contest from Hadapsar. Recently, Maharashtra Muslim Conference (MMC) National Convener Zubair Memon told The Free Press Journal that he intends to contest from Hadapsar. Zubair claimed that Hadapsar is a Muslim-majority constituency, with 33.4 per cent of its population from the community. He added that it is the only seat in western Maharashtra where a Muslim candidate has a strong chance of winning, supported solely by the votes from the community. Memon mentioned that a delegation comprising prominent Muslim leaders from Pune went to meet NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and requested him to give a Muslim candidate for the Hadapsar seat. "However, Pawar declined, saying this would affect their Hindu votes," Memon claimed. He added that the NCP (SP) has decided that Jagtap would be given the ticket from Hadapsar because "he stayed loyal and did not leave the party during Ajit Pawar's rebellion".

Meanwhile, Chetan Tupe of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP is the current MLA from Hadapsar. He is likely to secure the ticket again from the Mahayuti.